Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings - Chapter 51: The Young Demon Lord ll

Chapter 51: The Young Demon Lord ll

Raymond proposed an investment to Rofus.

A recently discovered coal mine in the Galleon territory.

The proposal was to supply coal mined there to the Lightless territory.

A stable supply of coal is one of the challenges for setting up trains in the territory.

In fact, Rofus had been consulting with Mild, the director of the commercial guild, about how to secure cheap coal.

While iron for the tracks could be managed, the coal supply was proving quite difficult.

For running trains, a continuous supply of coal as fuel is essential.

If a coal mine were found within the territory, the problem would be solved, but the Lightless territory, with its abundant farmland, has few mountains.

As a result, coal has to be imported from other territories, but cross-territory trade incurs higher commercial taxes.

Thus, obtaining coal cheaply is extremely difficult, and Mild was at a loss as to what to do.

At such a time, Raymond’s proposal came in.

Free provision of coal.

On top of that, Galleon territory would cover the transportation costs as well.

Calling it an investment, but it was an unheard-of proposition.

Rofus was so taken aback by the offer that he was almost disgusted.

He had expected a proposal to sell coal at a reduced price, but this…

“This is too much, Raymond… With conditions like these, even if you’re fine with it, the head of the Galleon family—your father—wouldn’t approve.”

“That’s not an issue. In fact, it was my summoned beast that discovered the mine. I own the rights to the mine and have my father’s permission to manage it as I see fit.”

“Even so, what about the labor costs for mining and transportation? Just handing it over to Lightless territory for free would only result in a loss for Galleon territory.”

“The mining will also be done by my summoned beasts, and if you specify the location, we can transport it directly. Remember the summoned beast that brought us here? He is Magnificus, a high-ranking spirit of space, proficient in spatial magic.”

“A high-ranking spirit as a summoned beast…? Is there anything you can’t do?”

Rofus’s face twitched at Raymond’s nonchalant explanation.

“I understand the plan. So, what does the House of Lightless need to give in return? Surely, you’re not asking for support for your world domination plan?”

When Rofus asked cautiously, Raymond burst out laughing.

“Haha, no, nothing like that. Rofus, I understand your value well. If I were to seek your support, free coal would be far too cheap an exchange.”

“Hmph, you understand correctly.”

“I called it an investment, didn’t I? Once the trains are installed, the economy of Lightless territory will develop greatly. When that happens, return something that matches that development. For example… Didn’t you plan to create a large vineyard?”

Rofus narrowed his eyes.

“So you’ve heard about the submarine plans too. Yes, the sea is a treasure trove of monsters.”

“Your insight is as sharp as ever.”

Rofus shrugged at Raymond’s laughter.

“Fine. We will send our specialty products to Galleon territory regularly. I’ll return more than what you invested.”

“I look forward to it. I’m sure you will make it a reality soon.”

With a combat-ready smile, Rofus and Raymond shook hands firmly.

Then Raymond added casually, “And… please keep the coal transfer a secret. If the royal family catches wind of it, it’ll become difficult.”

“Of course. If the supply is cut off, we’ll be in trouble too.”

“Indeed. Hence, you will have to handle the delivery personally, Rofus. However, I feel bad having someone of your status, the heir to a marquess family, deal with such mundane tasks each time.”

Raymond made an exaggerated gesture of holding his head dramatically.

Rofus frowned, unable to grasp his intention.

“Wouldn’t it be better if fewer people were involved to prevent information leaks? What are you talking about now?”

“You’re right. The trouble must be borne by you. So, in gratitude for your direct involvement, why not hold a tea party each time as a chance for ‘us’ to deepen our relationship?”

“A tea party…!? You mean, participate every time!?”

Rofus’s face twitched, but Raymond continued.

“I think we need to understand each other better. It’s natural to reject something like world domination from someone you hardly know. Your reaction is reasonable.”

“So you’re saying to hold tea parties to deepen our relationship? Did you plan this from the start…!”

Teleportation, trains, free coal.

All of it was groundwork Raymond laid to regularly hold tea parties.

Rofus realized he had been led into Raymond’s trap.

“You’re not going to back out of the agreement we just made over something as childish as not wanting to attend tea parties, are you?”

“Ugh…”

The agreement between Raymond and Rofus was, after all, a verbal one with no written contract.

Thus, even if Rofus reneged, it wouldn’t violate kingdom law, nor would there be any penalties.

However, Rofus couldn’t break his word to Raymond.

After making such grand promises to return more than the investment, breaking it would damage his reputation as a noble.

Moreover, Raymond hadn’t demanded anything disadvantageous for Lightress.

As Rofus stood silent, unable to respond, he saw Vallum dozing off in his chair.

“By the way, Raymond. Why did you bring Vallum to this discussion?”

“I spoke to Vallum about the same things I mentioned at the party. He agreed with my ideas but didn’t agree to walk alongside me.”

“Really?”

Rofus wondered why Vallum, who was supposed to be a follower in the story, had a change of heart.

Perhaps it was because of Rofus’s intervention.

“Of the four people I approached, two rejected me,” Raymond said.

“No, Vallum said this: ‘If Rofus agrees, I’ll help,'” Raymond corrected.

“What?” Rofus glared at Vallum, who was sleeping nearby. “What a selfish thing to say,” he thought.

Raymond shrugged. “Basically, if I can convince you, Vallum will follow suit.”

“So that’s why you went to all this trouble,” Rofus sighed, understanding yet still somewhat dissatisfied.

At that moment, Vallum, who had been dozing off, woke up with a start. “Hmm? Is the discussion over?”

“Why are you sleeping? You seem to have said something quite self-centered,” Rofus snapped.

“Oh, you heard that, Rofus?” Vallum replied, stifling a yawn.

Rofus’s forehead throbbed with frustration. “You know—” he started, but then stopped himself.

In the story, Rofus didn’t know what kind of feelings Vallum had for Raymond or why he followed him.

One thing didn’t match between the current situation and the story: Vallum’s beloved dragon, Frugel.

In the story’s Four Heavenly Kings battle, Vallum rode his beloved dragon Frugel, which was said to have been given to him by Raymond.

While similar in appearance, the blue-eyed wyvern that Rofus encountered in the Steria territory was a different creature, almost dead when they met.

Initially, Rofus thought that the dragon given by Raymond was a second generation, not paying much attention to it.

It wasn’t uncommon to name a new horse after the previous one once the old one couldn’t run anymore.

However, Vallum had a strong attachment to the blue-eyed wyvern Flugel.

Vallum’s death was tragic—he took his own life after losing his beloved dragon in battle.

It seemed like loyalty to Raymond, but it was different.

If Vallum were truly loyal, he would have stood against Abel and the others, regardless of the loss of his dragon.

Instead, Vallum ended his life as if to follow his fallen dragon Frugel.

Could he have such attachment to a second-generation dragon?

Considering Vallum’s character, Rofus doubted he would name a new dragon Flugel even if given one.

Another fact was that Raymond had a unique magic apart from summoning beasts.

Using that, he might have done something akin to a pseudo-resurrection.

Rofus realized that what Raymond did in the story was similar to what Rofus did with “Shadow Eater.”

Coincidentally, Rofus had inadvertently removed the reason for Vallum to follow Raymond.

Realizing this, Rofus looked at Raymond with a weary expression.

“I can’t really say anything about you, but you’re something else, Raymond.”

Raymond, not understanding, tilted his head. “I’m really not sure what you’re talking about.”

*

After Raymond and Vallum returned, Rofus began drafting a plan for the railway installation.

The stable coal supply, which his father Rudens was concerned about, was now secured.

However, the transportation method being teleportation couldn’t be made public.

He needed to devise a plausible yet convincing dummy route that wouldn’t arouse Rudens’ suspicion.

“What if we say my familiar or Raymond’s summoned beasts will fly it over?” Rofus suggested.

“Air transportation, huh? It’s an unusual method, so it might catch them off guard. If it’s you and Raymond, it’s plausible and shouldn’t be questioned. However, it presupposes infringing on other territories’ airspace. That means prior notification to the relevant noble families is necessary. If it’s done continuously, there should be a certain number of witnesses, or it’ll seem unnatural,” Carlos responded.

“If we notify other families, they’ll probably charge an airspace transit tax,” Rofus said.

Transporting goods across territories incurs significant costs, including food, consumables, escort fees, and transit taxes.

“This is just a dummy transport route. The actual transport will be via teleportation. It’s silly to spend money on something that doesn’t exist. Arranging witnesses… is a hassle,” Rofus mused, then had an idea.

“What if we just use regular horse-drawn carriages? We can write off the supposed expenses as costs, gaining usable funds,” he proposed.

“A brilliant idea with no waste. Ignoring the misuse of the residents’ taxes, of course. It’s no different from what Clinton does,” Carlos noted.

“I don’t intend to use it for personal gain… I see, it would be corruption,” Rofus acknowledged.

“Misusing tax funds does indeed violate kingdom law.”

Rofus sighed, realizing his idea wasn’t feasible.

“What if I just honestly tell Father about the teleportation? He might handle it well.”

“If the master handles it, he would arrange it properly. However, long-distance teleportation by summoned beasts is a legal gray area under kingdom law… I’m worried about the master’s stomach.”

“No problem there. My father is tough as nails.”

“I’m more concerned about his stomach than his heart…”

Rofus decided to document the long-distance teleportation by summoned beasts in his plan and concluded the explanation with “Confidential.”